Author Archives: Soccer America

NCAA Division I Women’s Game Reports
Three of the four No. 1 regional seeds fell in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division I Women’s Tournament. Besides defending champion North Carolina, which lost to Notre Dame, Penn State fell to West Virginia, and Stanford was upset by Connecticut. Top-ranked UCLA is the only No. 1 seed still alive. The Bruins will face Portland, winner of 11 straight games, in the quarterfinals. For reports on all the Sweet 16 games …

Freddy Adu does it again — another Benfica goal

[AMERICANS ABROAD/VIDEO] Freddy Adu added to his growing reputation as a goal scorer with a goal on the final touch of the game in Benfica’s 3-1 comeback win at Academica Coimbra on Sunday.

Soccer America Daily, What They're Saying

What They’re Saying

“It could happen anywhere. South Africa is trying very hard — I hope nothing else happens — but we won’t be able to move so freely as we are used to at World Cups.”

— German national team general manager Oliver Bierhoff after Friday’s shooting death of former Austrian pro Pieter Burgstaller on a golf course near Durban South Africa. Like Burgstaller, whom he met on the flight from Germany to South Africa, Bierhoff was in South Africa for soccer activities related to Sunday’s World Cup 2010 Qualifying Draw. He had his briefcase stolen from his hotel room on Sunday. (Guardian)

World Cup 2010 Qualifying Draw-Europe

Old foes will meet again in Europe’s World Cup 2010 qualifying campaign. England must face Croatia, which knocked it out of Euro 2008 last Wednesday, in Group 6. Scandinavian rivals Sweden and Denmark, involved in a match in Copenhagen in June that was abandoned when a Danish fan came on the field and attacked the referee, will meet in Group 1, where Portugal will be favored.

World Cup 2010 Qualifying Draw-Asia

Asia’s first group stage includes the most hotly contested group to emerge from Sunday’s World Cup 2010 qualifying draw in Durban. Group 1 consists of Australia, which reached the round of 16 at the 2006 World Cup, Iraq, the 2007 Asian champion, China, which played in the 2002 World Cup, and Qatar, arguably the most ambitious nation in the Middle East.

World Cup 2010 Qualifying Draw-Africa

The novelty of the World Cup 2010 qualifying draw in Africa is that World Cup 2010 host South Africa will take part in qualifying since the competition also serves as qualifying for the 2010 African Nations Cup. The Bafana Bafana were drawn with powerhouse Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and Sierra Leone in the first group stage.

World Cup 2010 Qualifying Draw-CONCACAF

The USA was drawn potentially the most difficult of the three semifinal groups, where if form holds it will face 2006 World Cup finalist Trinidad & Tobago, fourth in 2006 CONCACAF qualifying, Guatemala, fifth in 2006 CONCACAF qualifying, and Cuba. Canada could meet Mexico, Honduras and Jamaica, making it once again a longshot to advance to the Hexagonal. Costa Rica might have to play Panama, Haiti and Guyana in Group 3, which looks like the easiest of the three groups.

Soccer America Daily, What They're Saying

What They’re Saying

“I’ll still be available. Hopefully, I’ll still be playing, and playing well enough to be in the England squad in 2010. But who knows? Everything can change, and I have seen that in the last 12 months.”

— David Beckham, whose hopes of playing in Euro 2008 ended Wednesday when England was eliminated but who hopes to play in the 2010 World Cup. Beckham was at first discarded from the England team for Euro 2008, then recalled late in the campaign. With his appearance in England’s 3-2 loss to Croatia, Beckham has 99 caps.

NCAA Division I Men’s Schedule

Play begins in the 48-team NCAA Division I Men’s Tournament with 16 games Friday and Saturday. For the first- and second-round matchups …

NCAA Division I Women’s Schedule

Six of the eight top seeds are still alive in the NCAA Division I Women’s Tournament, which moves into the round of 16, beginning Friday. For all the post-Thanksgiving schedules …

Euro 2008 Scoreboard

Besides Russia, Portugal, Turkey and Sweden clinched berths at Euro ’08 on the final day of qualifying.

Euro 2008 Final Draw

Pots for the 2008 European Championship draw Dec. 2 in Lucerne, Switzerland, are set. How does a Netherlands-Italy-Germany-France group sound? Or Austria-Sweden-Romania-Poland? Both are possible.

England-Croatia: The Reaction

England’s national team and English soccer came under attack following England’s 3-2 loss to Croatia that knocked it out of Euro ’08. Overrated. Arrogant. Egotistical. Those were some the charges leveled.

Paraguay takes the lead in South America

[WORLD CUP QUALIFYING] Paraguay is the surprise leader after four games in South America’s World Cup 2010 qualifying competition ahead of Argentina, which lost for the first time on Tuesday, and Brazil, which was lucky to beat Uruguay at home.

2007 Super Y-League North American Champions

The Chicago Magic won a Super Y-League title for the fifth straight year. Arsenal FC captured two boys titles. On the girls’ side, the Cleveland Internationals set a record with three titles.

Russians mocked after narrow win over Andorra

Russia, the beneficiary of England’s collapse on the final day of qualifying for the 2008 European Championship, returned home to a muted reception. Indeed, the small group of fans who greeted Dick Advocaat‘s players at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport expressed their displeasure with their performance in a 1-0 win at tiny Andorra that was enough to see Russia through to the Euro ’08 finals.

Into Africa: World Cup 2010 kicks off

Mike Woitalla reporting from South Africa
As U.S. Senator John Kerry leaves the lobby of his Cape Town hotel three days before the World Cup Preliminary Draw in Durban, he shakes a few hands and says he’s in South Africa on “some business.” The former presidential candidate adds, “I’ll be back for the World Cup.” If all goes as World Cup 2010 organizers plan, the former presidential candidate will be just one of very many Americans arriving when the finals begin in 631 days.

Quakes get out of the gate quickly

Ridge Mahoney analyzes the expansion draft
San Jose head coach Frank Yallop has assembled the first 10 pieces of the Earthquakes expansion puzzle, and he has some history with most of the players selected.

Is FIFA Losing its Influence?

The tenets of capitalism dictate that money and power go hand-in-hand, resulting in the worldwide trend known as globalization. As the business of soccer follows that same inexorable progression, FIFA, the nonprofit international organization that governs the game, is losing its influence. Soccer guru Paul Gardner sheds light on the topic in a New York […]

Robinson’s England Career Over?

According to various media reports, Steve McClaren has dropped both David Beckham and Paul Robinson for Wednesday’s crucial Euro 2008 qualifier between England and Croatia. The England coach revealed his starting lineup to the players Tuesday night but wouldn’t formally tell the media ahead of today’s game. Plenty has been said about the significance of […]

Red Bull Searches for Coach with MLS Experience

Soccer columnist Ives Galarcep updates us on the New York Red Bulls’ hunt for a new coach, saying that early signs show that club owner Red Bull is not looking to bring in a high-profile foreign coach, as many expected. Unnamed sources tell him the team is instead scouring the pool of top MLS assistant […]

CONCACAF Unveils Champions League

There’s been no official announcement yet, but word on the street is that CONCACAF, the North and Central American soccer federation, is planning to overhaul its existing club champions’ competition to make it look (and sound) more like UEFA’s Champions League. According to the Washington Post’s Stephen Goff, the new tournament will in fact be […]

Ibra to Become World’s Richest

Kaka may be the favorite to win this year’s Golden Ball and FIFA World Player of the Year awards, but he certainly won’t be soccer’s highest- paid player. It looks like that title will be going to Inter Milan’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Football Italia says the Swede is now lining up a deal worth $16 million […]

College Soccer Reporter, Story

Martin Methodist take second NAIA women’s title

[CHAMPIONSHIP] Fifth-seeded Martin Methodist captured the program’s second NAIA national title in three seasons with a 2-1 win over No. 3 Azusa Pacific Tuesday night at the Embry-Riddle Soccer Stadium in Daytona, Beach, Fla.

College Soccer Reporter, Story

Azusa Pacific beats rival to win first NAIA men’s title